Published: Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, August 26, 2013 at 7:05 p.m.

The number of robberies committed in Marion County decreased 15 percent between 2011 and 2012. That category of crime is trending down regionally and statewide, as well.

But you might not know it from all the recent news about convenience store robberies.

The latest local example came Sunday night, when a gunman robbed the Stop and Save at 11 NE 58th Ave. (Baseline Road.) Authorities were still looking for a suspect late Monday.

Earlier this month, the Citgo at 1517 SW 10th St. in Ocala was robbed for the seventh time in less than a year. Five of the cases, including the most recent one, resulted in arrests.

The story is similar throughout Central Florida. A 7-11 near Longwood was robbed on Aug. 5. A Git-N-Go Food Store in Tampa was targeted on Aug. 8. A Wildwood convenience store worker was shot and killed during a robbery on Aug. 20.

Last year in Florida there were 1,355 robberies at convenience stores and gas/service stations, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. And although these crimes receive much publicity, they represent a small percentage of the total.

In 2012, 5.7 percent of all robberies statewide were committed at gas stations or convenience stores. Almost 55 percent of robberies were in public spaces such as streets, alleys, sidewalks, parking lots and parks.

Nationwide, in 2011, 7.5 percent of all robberies were committed at convenience stores and gas/service stations, according to the FBI.

Convenience stores have improved safety significantly since the late 1980s, according to Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives at the National Association of Convenience Stores.

The goal is to minimize the robber's rewards — by using time-release drop safes, for example, which make it difficult to get away fast with cash — and maximize the robber's risk of getting caught.

There were 25,056 convenience store robberies nationwide in 2007, Lenard said. The number dropped to 18,090 in 2011.

Ned Bowman, executive director of the Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, said 58 percent of all Florida convenience stores are mom-and-pop operations. Safety and security are always top priorities for all store owners.

That certainly is the case at King's Store. Just before noon Monday, owner Mike Mhdy was ringing up an order — three cold cans of Natural Ice beer and a pack of 305 cigarettes — at the shop on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue just south of State Road 40.

"Most of my customers are very nice," said Mhdy, who has owned the store for one year and worked there the previous six years. "I never have any trouble with them."

Mhdy said he had not been robbed, though he does get shoplifters from time to time. Safety is always a concern, of course, but he notes that the local climate is much less perilous than Jacksonville, where so many establishments have bullet-proof glass inside.

Roy Patel owned a convenience store near U.S. 441 on Lake Weir Avenue in southeast Ocala. Last year the store was targeted five times in six months; the last time, Patel had a gun pointed at his face.

"That was it for me. I sold that store. My wife refused to work there because she was afraid," he said. "Every time someone came in I didn't know if it was going to happen again. I was always nervous."

Patel now operates another convenience store, at Baseline Road and Northeast Seventh Street. No robberies so far.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office is investigating the Sunday night robbery. Sheriff Chris Blair has switched robbery investigations from the major crimes unit to the tactical unit.

He also has people specially assigned to the jail, interviewing incoming inmates and trying to glean tips about drug activity and violent crime.

"We're very proactive," Blair said, noting that deputies completed 1,900 more arrest affidavits during the first six months of 2013 than they did during the comparable period in 2012.

Correspondent Carlos Medina contributed to this story. Contact Jim Ross at 671-6412 or jim.ross@ocala.com. Follow him on Twitter @jimross96

<p>The number of robberies committed in Marion County decreased 15 percent between 2011 and 2012. That category of crime is trending down regionally and statewide, as well.</p><p>But you might not know it from all the recent news about convenience store robberies.</p><p>The latest local example came Sunday night, when a gunman robbed the Stop and Save at 11 NE 58th Ave. (Baseline Road.) Authorities were still looking for a suspect late Monday.</p><p>Earlier this month, the Citgo at 1517 SW 10th St. in Ocala was robbed for the seventh time in less than a year. Five of the cases, including the most recent one, resulted in arrests.</p><p>The story is similar throughout Central Florida. A 7-11 near Longwood was robbed on Aug. 5. A Git-N-Go Food Store in Tampa was targeted on Aug. 8. A Wildwood convenience store worker was shot and killed during a robbery on Aug. 20.</p><p>Last year in Florida there were 1,355 robberies at convenience stores and gas/service stations, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. And although these crimes receive much publicity, they represent a small percentage of the total.</p><p>In 2012, 5.7 percent of all robberies statewide were committed at gas stations or convenience stores. Almost 55 percent of robberies were in public spaces such as streets, alleys, sidewalks, parking lots and parks.</p><p>Nationwide, in 2011, 7.5 percent of all robberies were committed at convenience stores and gas/service stations, according to the FBI.</p><p>Convenience stores have improved safety significantly since the late 1980s, according to Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives at the National Association of Convenience Stores.</p><p>The goal is to minimize the robber's rewards — by using time-release drop safes, for example, which make it difficult to get away fast with cash — and maximize the robber's risk of getting caught.</p><p>There were 25,056 convenience store robberies nationwide in 2007, Lenard said. The number dropped to 18,090 in 2011.</p><p>Ned Bowman, executive director of the Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, said 58 percent of all Florida convenience stores are mom-and-pop operations. Safety and security are always top priorities for all store owners.</p><p>That certainly is the case at King's Store. Just before noon Monday, owner Mike Mhdy was ringing up an order — three cold cans of Natural Ice beer and a pack of 305 cigarettes — at the shop on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue just south of State Road 40.</p><p>"Most of my customers are very nice," said Mhdy, who has owned the store for one year and worked there the previous six years. "I never have any trouble with them."</p><p>Mhdy said he had not been robbed, though he does get shoplifters from time to time. Safety is always a concern, of course, but he notes that the local climate is much less perilous than Jacksonville, where so many establishments have bullet-proof glass inside.</p><p>Roy Patel owned a convenience store near U.S. 441 on Lake Weir Avenue in southeast Ocala. Last year the store was targeted five times in six months; the last time, Patel had a gun pointed at his face.</p><p>"That was it for me. I sold that store. My wife refused to work there because she was afraid," he said. "Every time someone came in I didn't know if it was going to happen again. I was always nervous."</p><p>Patel now operates another convenience store, at Baseline Road and Northeast Seventh Street. No robberies so far.</p><p>The Marion County Sheriff's Office is investigating the Sunday night robbery. Sheriff Chris Blair has switched robbery investigations from the major crimes unit to the tactical unit.</p><p>He also has people specially assigned to the jail, interviewing incoming inmates and trying to glean tips about drug activity and violent crime.</p><p>"We're very proactive," Blair said, noting that deputies completed 1,900 more arrest affidavits during the first six months of 2013 than they did during the comparable period in 2012.</p><p>Correspondent Carlos Medina contributed to this story. Contact Jim Ross at 671-6412 or jim.ross@ocala.com. Follow him on Twitter @jimross96</p>